Sustainability at MC

MC celebrates April 18-24

“Earth Week @ MC is a series of events designed to generate awareness about environmental problems and encourage the community to learn about and be a part of the solutions, celebrate our planet and engage in physical health and wellness outdoors,” said Adrienne Schwarte, MC associate professor of design and co-sponsor of Earth Week. “Even though Earth Week @ MC happens just once a year, our community is involved daily in initiatives that help sustain our campus, and Earth Week @ MC is a time to see some of those initiatives and generate more participation in them.”

Maryville College’s location as the four-year liberal arts college closest to the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains has long infused its culture with an interest in conservation and environmental protection. Respect for the region’s indigenous Cherokee heritage, and for the 19th century Scots-Irish Presbyterian immigrants to East TN who founded the college, both fostered the school’s long-standing tradition of community service, faith and justice. Scientific research on the flora and fauna of this biodiverse region, and measurement of humanity’s impact on this space has been a touchstone of the work of the college for decade. Whether through traditional liberal arts majors, through courses in discipline specific majors or the interdisciplinary Environmental Studies major, applying lessons learned in class through practica or internships off campus and around the world, or in our Sustainability Studies Minor, students can find multiple paths by which to study and reflect upon nature and our impact on it.

The college maintains a 140-plus acred Maryville College Woods (MC Woods), the largest forested space in the City of Maryville and designated as a TN Stewardship Forest. Its wood-chip powered steam plant was built as a cogeneration demonstration project for the 1982 World’s Fair. MC students, staff and faculty have traveled together to almost every continent, studying how culture, science and economics intertwine in rural China, the valleys of Venezuela and Tibet, towns in Thailand and Scotland, or in the rainforests of Costa Rica. MC also maintains a college-level presidential advisory committee on ecological issues, The Campus Sustainability Group (CSG). And in 2010, the College approved its first campus sustainability plan.

Students work for an outdoor leadership company located on site in the solar-powered and LEED Gold certified Crawford House. And our alumni work as rangers in national parks, as renewable energy entrepreneurs, environmental lawyers, ecologists and nature-based writers and sustainable artists.

As our Physical Plant director said in a recent interview about MC’s sustainability record, “I think we were green before people knew it was cool.”

Explore this site, and learn about MC’s sustainability journey. We hope to see you on campus, so you can help create the next chapter in our story.

Maryville College is also a member of the GoGreenET Green Business Recognition Program and was selected as a Green Achiever in April 2012.

Earth Week 2014 at Maryville College, April 21-25th

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE

Mon., April 21:

— 12:55-2 p.m.: Court Street Clean-UpStudents in Dr. Mark O’Gorman’s and Adrienne Schwarte’s classes will pick up litter on the streets bordering campus. Gloves, bags and safety vests will be provided. All are welcome to join the group.— 3:30 p.m.: Organic, Local Food and Energy Efficiency Forum with Metz Culinary ManagementSponsored by Tennessee Valley Authority and EnergyRight Solutions for Higher Education Internship Program, the forum will be held in Fayerweather Hall’s Lawson Auditorium.

Tues., April 22: Earth Day:

— 12:30-1:45 p.m.: Film festival in Pearsons Dining Room— 3 p.m.:Announcement of MC’s partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at TremontThe announcement and celebration will take place at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

Wed., April 23:

—1 p.m.: Presentation by Amelia BrumbaughMaryville College sophomore Amelia Brumbaugh will discuss her environmental experiences during her recent trip to Ghana. She received one of the first Maryville College Sustainability Airfare Grants, which paid for her plane ticket to Ghana and allowed her to explore environmental and sustainable connections in the country. The presentation will be held in Thaw Hall, Room 216. Organic refreshments will be served.

Thurs., April 24:

— 3:30 p.m.: Bring Your Own T-Shirt (BYOT-SHIRT) Tie-Dye T-Shirt EventBring a T-shirt and join in the tie-dyeing fun! The event will be held in front of Pearsons Hall, next to the Solar Dok tables.— 7:00 p.m.: Tropical Ecology and Conservation: Bonaire Video CompetitionCome to Lawson Auditorium (Fayweather) at 7:00pm to watch 6 short videos (4-5 minutes each) about a trip 12 MC students took over spring break to the Caribbean Island of Bonaire. Learn about the unique sustainability/protection efforts of the island, the conservation contributions MC students made through community service and research, and discover both the beauty of the reefs as well as the perils they face. Come see how Maryville College doesn’t just THINK globally, we ACT globally too! At the end of the presentations YOU get to vote for the best video!

Fri., April 25:

— 3:30 p.m.: Ice Cream Social and World Environment Day Poster ExhibitionStudents in Adrienne Schwarte’s Design I class will display their World Environment Day poster designs through digital projection powered by the College’s Solar Dok tables in front of Pearsons Hall. Bring your own bowl and spoon and enjoy some ice cream, too!